Angiogenesis and Cardiovascular Pathology
Background: Vascular network remodeling and the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis and arteriogenesis) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of ischemic cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and cancer, which are the most common causes of mortality in western society. In the pediatric setting, improper vascular network remodeling during embryogenesis is a major cause of birth defects, and programs for cardiovascular disease in the adult.
Mission statement: Our goal is to generate novel genetic insights in the regulation of vascular development and vessel identity that can translate into therapeutic strategies.Our research projects aim at understanding the molecular regulation of angiogenesis and arteriogenesis. We focus on two crucial aspects:
1) differentiation and guidance of angiogenic vessel sprouts by endothelial tip cells (LeNoble, Nature 2004),
2) imprinting of arterial-venous identity in blood vessels by neural guidance genes and hemodynamic factors (LeNoble, Development 2004).
For this purpose we characterize the mechanisms of vascular development in experimental models including (transgenic) zebrafish, xenopus, chick and mouse embryo. In addition, the concepts emerging from understanding the basic molecular principles governing vascular growth are translated into relevant pathologic settings including cerebral and cardiac ischemia models, and cancer. We specifically address arterial collateral development upon arterial occlusion and prevention-recovery from target organ damage (heart infarct, stroke).
Translational Medicine, from bench to bedside: Translation and integration of basic science concepts into clinical practice requires a continuous feedback from clinical specialists. We therefore have extensive collaborations with clinicians at the Charite hospitals working in the field of cardiology and neurology. This research is embedded in the Center for Stroke Research Berlin (CSB), and the Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC) Berlin, and involves intensive cooperation between the medical faculty of the Charite and the MDC.
Key-words summarizing our work:
angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, tip cell differentiation, vessel guidance